With the advent of lightweight large screen televisions, such as those with LCD and plasma displays, it has become common for homeowners to mount lightweight TVs to the wall to free up floor space and thereby eliminate the need for a stand to obtain the optimum viewing height.
Aesthetically, when mounting a TV on a wall, it is desirable to keep the electrical cables out of sight. Thus, even if an existing outlet is available directly under the newly installed TV, it is preferable to route electrical cables within the wall to keep them out of sight. Providing an electrical outlet for the TV by conventional means typically requires locating the closest existing electrical box, installing a new outlet box at the location of the TV, pulling electrical cable between the boxes, and completing the wiring connections to provide line voltage to the new electrical box.
Many times the existing electrical outlets are located at some distance horizontally from the desired location of the TV, making it necessary to remove a portion of the drywall, drill holes in the underlying studs, and pull electrical cable through the studs. This is a very time consuming task as the wallboard is disrupted and must be replaced and the wall must be plastered and repainted or re-wallpapered to restore the wall to its original condition.
What is needed therefore is a device and method for installing an electrical outlet on a wall that causes no disruption to the visible wall surface below a wall-mounted TV, does not require alteration of the underlying studs, eliminates the pulling of electrical cables through adjacent studs in the wall, and eliminates extensive repairs to the wall surface after the cables are installed. When installed, such a device should provide a clean wall underneath the wall-mounted TV, with no cables running up the wall from a lower electrical outlet to the TV.